Micah Richards has become the third Manchester City first-team player to be
banned from driving in recent weeks, despite the club offering driving
clinics and face-to-face legal advice to Roberto Mancini’s squad.

Driving force: Micah Richards has been banned from the roads for six months Photo: AFP

Richards was banned for six months on Friday for failing to respond to two speeding notices, joining Carlos Tévez and Samir Nasri off the road. In February, City youngster Courtney Meppen-Walter was jailed for 16 months for causing death by careless driving.

Richards admitted two counts of failing to provide the identity of who was driving his Ferrari 458 Italia car which was clocked at 51mph in a 40mph zone in Manchester in September.

Tameside Magistrates’ Court heard that the six penalty points took him over the 12-point penalty limit as he already had accrued nine points for three separate driving offences in November 2010, December last year and this January.

Richards, 24, who did not attend, was also ordered to pay a £600 fine, £85 costs and £60 victim surcharge.

The court was told that Richards had difficulties with his post at the time the notices were sent out last September and last November because his home in Bowdon, Altrincham, was being renovated and he was staying elsewhere.

The bench was not informed of Richards’s earnings but allowed him 14 days to pay his fines and costs.

According to reports last week, Richards mocked up a picture on his Instagram account of Tévez performing community service as a street cleaner and wrote: “Sorry Carlos but this is too funny!!!”

City offer driving clinics once a year, however, that involve Gwyn Lewis – the solicitor nicknamed Merlin the Magician for his success rate in driving cases – speaking to the players about driving related matters.